Memphis Rallies to Beat Temple Behind Key Third-Quarter Plays

Saturday, October 24

Memphis, Tenn.

11 AM

University of Memphis

3-1 , 2-1

Temple

1-2 , 1-2

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Temple

Memphis

Photo by: Joe Murphy

Memphis Rallies to Beat Temple Behind Key Third-Quarter Plays

Oct 24, 2020 | Football

Box Score Cumulative Season Stats Memphis Football postgame notes vs. Temple Game Book

By: Trent Shadid

MEMPHIS — In a span of seven third-quarter plays, the Memphis Tigers forced two turnovers and threw two touchdown passes to spark a 41-29 comeback victory over the Temple Owls on Saturday at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.

With Memphis (3-1, 2-1 The American) trailing 15-13 at the 8:40 mark in the third quarter, junior defensive back Rodney Owens intercepted a Temple pass to give Memphis the ball at their own 34-yard line. After a 1-yard run on first down, senior quarterback Brady White connected with junior wide receiver Calvin Austin III for a 65-yard touchdown to put the Tigers in front 20-15.

Two plays later, senior defensive lineman O'Bryan Goodson forced and recovered a Temple (1-2, 1-2) fumble at the Memphis 46-yard line. A 28-yard run by sophomore running back Rodrigues Clark was followed by a 26-yard touchdown pass from White to freshman wide receiver Tahj Washington. The score pushed the Tigers' lead to 27-15 as Memphis turned a five-point halftime deficit into a 12-point lead in just eight minutes and 30 seconds of game time.

Owens had another interception on Temple's final offensive play of the third quarter as the Tigers forced four turnovers on the day. The pair of interceptions were the first two of his career.

"I'm proud of our guys going out there and getting a conference win," said Memphis head coach Ryan Silverfield. "Kudos to our defense going out and getting four turnovers. That makes all the difference in the world. Rodney Owens with two big picks and almost had that third one at the end. Wonderful job by him."

White finished with 313 passing yards and four touchdowns while completing 17 of his 36 attempts. He now has 17 touchdown passes in four games this season.

For the second straight week, Austin set a career high in receiving yards. He had 184 yards on six catches Saturday and 151 in a 50-49 win over UCF last week.

Clark had 106 rushing yards, giving him at least 98 yards in every game this season.

First Quarter

Temple fumbled twice on the opening drive of the game, but the Owls were able to recover both. The 13-play drive concluded with a missed 26-yard field goal.

Memphis responded with an 11-play, 80-yard drive capped by a 3-yard touchdown pass from Brady White to Tahj Washington. With a 7-0 lead, the Tigers' defense forced a three-and-out after a third-down sack by Wardalis Ducksworth.

The ensuing drive lasted just one play as wide receiver Calvin Austin fumbled at the end of a 21-yard reception. Temple recovered and returned the ball to the Memphis 10-yard line. The Tigers' defense was resilient, forcing a Temple field goal after three plays to keep Memphis in the lead 7-3 at the end of the first quarter.

Second Quarter

Another Memphis fumble ended a promising drive at the Temple 16-yard line. The Owls followed with a 62-yard drive that ended in no points as the Memphis defense tightened again and forced a stop on fourth down. A third-down sack by Jalil Clemons pushed Temple out of field-goal range before the turnover on downs.

After its defense forced a punt, Temple put together its first touchdown drive of the game, going 65 yards in eight plays. The Owls' extra point was blocked, making the score 9-7 with 7:41 remaining in the first half.

The Tigers' second punt of the game gave Temple a chance to extend its lead. However, an interception by Jacobi Francis ended the Owls' drive at midfield. Francis returned the interception to the Temple 25-yard line. Riley Patterson converted a 42-yard field goal four plays later to put Memphis back in front 10-9 with 3:34 left in the first half.

Temple ended the half with a 75-yard drive that finished with a 10-yard touchdown pass from Anthony Russo to Branden Mack. A two-point conversion attempt failed, and the Owls took a 15-10 lead into halftime.

Third Quarter

Memphis opened the second half with a 13-play drive that took six minutes and 15 seconds and ended with a 42-yard field goal by Patterson, cutting the Temple lead to 15-13.

Following the seven-play stretch that gave Memphis a 27-15 lead, Temple answered with a 78-yard touchdown drive to make it 27-22.

A missed 50-yard field goal by Patterson gave Temple an opportunity to regain the lead, but Owens' second interception of the day ended the threat on the second play of the drive.

Fourth Quarter

Memphis also turned Owens' second interception into a touchdown, driving 45 yards in nine plays to push the lead back to two scores at 34-22. The drive was capped by a 7-yard touchdown pass from White to freshman wide receiver Javon Ivory. White converted two fourth downs on the drive, the first with a 25-yard pass to Austin III and the second on a quarterback sneak.

Temple drove 75 yards for a touchdown in just under two minutes to once again pull within one score of the Tigers at 34-29. Russo passed for 73 yards on the scoring drive.

After the teams traded punts, White threw his only interception of the game to give Temple the ball at the Memphis 46-yard line. The Tigers' defense held strong once again, forcing a three-and-out and a punt to give Memphis the ball at its own 12-yard line with 5:07 to play.

The Tigers promptly drove 88 yards in eight plays, seven of them rushing, as Kylan Watkins scored on a 15-yard touchdown run to put the Tigers in front for good at 41-29. The defense forced a turnover on downs at the Memphis 11-yard line with 10 seconds remaining to clinch the win.